Q: I just received three indoor ivy plants. The
directions say to keep the soil moist. Can you give any information on how often
I should water the plants? (e-mail reference)

A: Overhead and use tepid or room-temperature
water. Allow the soil to dry down on the top inch, then water completely.

Q: I purchased variegated
ivies that had a nice blue-green hue to them, but after they started to grow at
home, they turned a regular green. Is there anything I can do to keep it the
bluish-green hue? One more variegated question: I have an old hosta given to me
by my grandmother some 30 years ago. In the spring, it comes up green with a
variegated leaf, but then the variegated leaf turns green. Is there anything I
can do to keep the variegation? (e-mail reference)

A: Variegated plants
can be fertilized in the same fashion as other plants of the same species.
You might ask the nursery what its trick is to produce the blue-green hue
that you like. As to the hosta turning from a variegated to a full green, I
have no idea other than it is the characteristic of this particular
cultivar, so you have no choice but to accept it.

Q: I just moved in a house
where the previous owners left two flourishing devil's ivy plants. When we moved
in two weeks ago, they were both very green and healthy looking plants. Now the
leaves on the ivy in the most-lit room are getting yellow, limp, have little
holes, and cracks are forming. This plant is suspended in a plastic pot. The
plant does not have proper drainage. There also is a white overgrowth at the
base of the plant near the soil, which is almost fungi-looking. What should I
do? Is there a product for this kind of problem? Thanks for your help. (e-mail
reference)

A: Did you change the
location of the plants, interior temperature or watering practices? If they
were flourishing two weeks ago, but are now looking limp, a major event must
have occurred. Plants almost always never decline that quickly unless
something has served as a "trigger." You can try repotting in fresh potting
soil and contacting the previous owner to see what it was the person did to
keep the plants flourishing. Devil’s ivy usually is an easy plant to care
for because it thrives on very little care, but still looks decent.

Q: Please
tell me if it is possible to cut an ivy plant and reroot it in
water to make another plant? (e-mail reference)

A:
Without an idea which ivy plant you are referring to, I can
generally say that most of the ivy plants I know of can be
propagated that way.

Q: I have
an English ivy plant that has been doing very well, but suddenly
the vines started drying out from the bottom up. The leaves are
turning brown and withering. I've fertilized it, but that isn't
helping. Do I need to repot it? It's also in a window that, with
the change in weather, has gotten quite a bit colder. (e-mail
reference)

A: I
would suggest repotting it, if for no other reason than to
see if the roots are still alive. It may be overwatered or in
a poorly drained container. If you fertilized when it didn't
need it (only fertilize when new growth is evident), you
could have reached a toxic salt level in the soil.

Q: I have two hedera ivy plants in a west window that seem to
be doing well. Not being terribly educated in the area of
houseplants, I fear I mistakenly repotted them in pots that are
too large. However, they are doing well. After reading your
question-and-answer section on ivy plants, I was unable to find
an answer to my two questions. How do you cut back
hard ivy plants? The vines on my plants reach lengths up to
3 feet. Is there a particular way they can be lifted up so that
they dont look scraggily? These are the first ivy plants
that Ive had some success at growing in the 25 years of
having houseplants, so I dont want to mess it up. (e-mail
reference)

A: You shouldnt worry because hedera ivy is a
difficult plant to mess up! Pruning or cutting back
hard simply means reducing the size of the plant
significantly. In your case, it would mean reducing the plant
from a straggly 3 feet to about 12 inches. In doing that, you
are encouraging the plant to send out more new growth, which
will help it become a more bushy vine (an
oxymoron, really). The one thing you need to be careful about
when repotting into a larger pot is overwatering. English
ivies do not need a lot of water, so when you think they need
water, think again and water at least a day later.

Q: I have
an ivy plant that was given to me in a container. I repotted into
the same size pot. Now it is not growing. The leaves are lighter
than they were. Should I repot it in a smaller pot using Miracle
Gro? I want to save the plant. (e-mail reference)

A: If
the plant was doing fine in the store container, why repot
it? If you havent thrown the original container out,
replant it in the same pot and give it a shot of Miracle-Gro.
If that doesnt bring it back, nothing will.

Q: Some of
the leaves on my English ivy topiary are starting to turn yellow.
It is still in the plastic nursery pot it came in. Could that be
the problem or what could be causing it? I mist it weekly and
water when needed.
(e-mail reference)

A: Try
repotting in a clay pot using the next nominal size larger
pot. Use fresh potting soil and move it to where it can get a
little more natural or artificial light. Check the leaves for
possible spider mite damage, as they are susceptible to this
pest. A stippled yellowing and some very fine webbing should
be evident. Dont overwater the plant. It is better to
grow it a little on the dry side. A regular misting regime,
such as once a week, will keep most spider mite infestations
at bay.

Q: My
daughter and I both purchased devils ivy plants. We only
water when the soil becomes dry and dont overwater. My
daughters ivy is growing much prettier than mine. Mine has
four runners while hers has many more. What am I doing wrong? Her
ivy appears to be crying at times. She does not overwater, but
drops fall from the leaves like teardrops. (e-mail reference)

A: It
could be such things as the amount of light, heat, drafts,
water source, temperature or using different containers. The
crying you are referring to is from a small opening in the
tips of the leaves known as hydathodes. Apparently your
daughters plant is blessed with an abundance of
hydathodes that pass the water from the interior of the plant
to the atmosphere. Its nothing to worry about.

Q: It seems
like every time I have an ivy plant, it becomes infested with
spider mites. Am I doing something wrong? No other plants in the
house seem to have the problem. What is the best way to get rid
of them for good? (e-mail reference)

A: It
is like folks who grow potatoes and complain about Colorado
potato beetles. They seem to come with the plant! Dont
frustrate yourself by attempting to grow something that
attracts these pests so readily. Insecticidal soap sprayed on
the foliage will often take care of the problem. Safer and
Schultz are two product companies that market this material.

Q: I just received my first indoor ivy plant. I would like to
know a watering schedule that will keep it as beautiful as it is
now. (E-mail reference)

A: There are about six ivy plants that I know of, so I
dont know which one you are referencing. Generally
speaking, allow the soil to dry between waterings, then water
thoroughly. Allow the water to accumulate in the saucer for
not more than 20 to 30 minutes before dumping it.

Q: I have grown English ivy plants for several years. In
summer I put the plant outdoors and in winter I have them in the
living room. What causes rot on the leaves? Sometimes the rot
will cover half the leaf. I don't over-water. I fertilize the
plant on occasion with MiracleGro. (Tioga, N.D.)

A: What you are calling rot could be salt damage or poor
to no drainage in the container. I suspect the water may be
high in salts. Try watering with distilled water to see if
that helps. Make certain the container drainage is good.

Q: I have three pothos (Devil's ivy) in our office, each in a
different room. They are doing very well but one of them has
grown to huge proportions. The stem is three quarter inches
across and two inches around. The leaves are about 7 1/2 x 10 1/2
inches. I searched the Internet and it says the leaves should be
two to four inches which is true of the others in the office. It
started growing like this after we moved here from another
office. The only difference between the two offices is the
lighting. The only difference between the location of this plant
from the others is that this one is by a north window while the
others have no window at all. I am baffled as to why it is
growing the way it is. Could it be strictly the lighting?
(Moorhead, Minn.)

A: I doubt it. It is more likely you have a chimera
developing. Contact me again this spring when the weather is
a little nicer and I will try to make a run over to your
office to see if that is the case and if so, take a cutting
from it.

Q: I have a Swedish ivy that continues to flourish, but the
older leaves turn purplish with deep purple veins while the new
leaves are the pretty shiny green that I would expect. The plant
started out as all green. Am I doing something wrong, and how do
I get the plant back to green? (E-mail reference)

A: The first thing I would suggest is fertilization, since
you didn't mention it. Schultz makes a very good "Plant
Food" (10-15-10) that houseplants typically respond well
to. It is in all popular garden center outlets.

Q: I have a Swedish ivy that isn't exactly flourishing. I put
it out in the late spring, and by the time I bring it inside in
the fall, it looks lovely. But over the winter it grows spindly
and the leaves get dark brown dried- up edges, or get yellow and
fall off. I have it in a bright, sunny window and do not over
water (perhaps under water). I do not let the roots sit in water.
Second, I have read that rosemary plants can be transplanted in
the fall and brought indoors to overwinter. I have tried this two
years in a row; the first year the rosemary was in a pot and did
very well outside. I brought it indoors pot and all, and within a
short time the bottom part of the plant turned a grayish-green,
which quickly spread to the rest of the plant, killing it. The
second year, I had rosemary in the ground and transplanted it
into a pot to bring indoors, and the same thing happened. What am
I doing wrong? (E-mail reference, Jamestown, N.D.)

A: All one can hope for through our long winters is for
plants first to survive, then recover during the summer. Your
Swedish ivy apparently doesn't like the drafts from the
window, the salts in the water, or the dry winter air that is
the result of our heating systems needing to be used. All of
these things could be the problem, or just one of them. I
wouldn't suggest bringing the rosemary indoors during the
winter. Mulch it heavily outside for the winter, and it
should survive, if you got one of the hardy cultivars like
'Munstead'. The very same reasons for your Swedish ivy not
doing well (plus possibly some spider mites damaging them)
are killing your rosemary.

Q: Can you tell me why the enclosed sample of ivy has curled
leaves? I put it outside in the summer, and have never had this
problem before. (Carrington, N.D.)

A: Curled leaves are often the result of aphids or other
piercing/sucking insects feeding. There was no physical
evidence of aphids on the sample you sent. You might have had
some post aphid activity that caused this. Another
possibility is some minute herbicide contact. This could come
from drift or residual in a container that was used to water
the plant. In all probability, your plant will outgrow this
minor affliction.

Q.We had the lawn
sprayed last spring, but it did not kill this one weed. How do I
get rid of it? (Rugby, N.D.)

A. The weed is Glechoma, also known as ground ivy. It has
a nasty root system and so the best lawn spray to use is
Trimec, the strongest herbicide on the market. You should be
able to find it all most home and garden centers. Remember to
follow the label instructions.

Q.Can you tell me the
proper way to take care of my Swedish ivy? (Valley City, N.D.)

A.Cut it back
hard, repot and place it in a sunny location. Give it a shot
of fertilizer with the first watering. After that, watch that
you don't get excess water on the foliage and that you throw
away any drainage water from the bottom of the pot.

Q.I have two
Swedish ivy plants that are blossoming with tiny white flowers on
a sprig. They have never bloomed before, and nobody that I know
has ever seen one bloom either. Is this normal? (Hecla, S.D.)

A. Whenever a foliage houseplant
flowers, it is unusual. This is because the conditions we
keep these plants in are not beneficial or conducive to the
reproductive stages of growth. Hence, they remain vegetative.
You apparently provided some conditions unwittingly to
encourage the vine to flower.

Q.Enclosed
is a too-friendly plant in our lawn. What is it and how do we get
rid of it? Also, my fern peony buds but only one blooms. It's as
if they dry up on the bud, even though I try to keep them watered
and fertilized. How come? (Voltaire, N.D.)

A.Your
"too-friendly plant" is a very determined weed
known as ground ivy (Glecoura hederacea). It is a perennial
that spreads by rooting on creeping stems, and reproduces by
seed. This particular weed will thrive in shade, often
out-competing the grasses that are attempting to grow in the
same location. I once saw this weed so thick that I
recommended the homeowner kill off the little bit of grass in
it, and accept the weed as an alternative groundcover. Repeat
applications of Trimec (or similar product containing
dicamba) will kill it off.

Concerning your peony, try pulling about 1 inch of soil
back from the crown of the plant and back off on overhead
watering. Also, remove foliage in late fall once it has been
blackened by frosts.

Q. I've enclosed infected samples of ivy
and ferns. I've sprayed them with soap suds, but evidently I'm
not getting the bugs. Could you tell me what I could use to get
rid of the bugs? (Tyndall, S.D.)

A. Your ivy foliage is very
undersized and in need of some fertilizer. Repot, and
sprinkle a couple of pinches of fertilizer. You should see
some response in two to three weeks or less.

Obtain Safer's Insecticidal Soap to control the aphid and
mite problem on your plants. Household soap does little good.
It wouldn't hurt to rinse the foliage of your plants through
the summer with tap water. That, too, will help control
insect buildup and produce healthy plants.

Q: Can you tell me what conditions are necessary for my indoor
Swedish ivy to bloom? It was blooming when I bought it a year ago
and it was beautiful. (I just read your 'Questions on Ivy' and
saw the question from the person who has one blooming indoors,
but I cannot find information on what conditions prompt this
blooming.) (E-mail reference)

A: The Swedish ivy is one of the more perfect houseplants
for our long winter months in the North, as it has colorful
foliage and tolerates the usual dry air that goes along with
central heating systems. To get it (or any other plant for
that matter) to flower, place it where it can get bright but
indirect light. They are generally placed near or on
windowsills with a veiled curtain protecting them from direct
light. It will take patience on your part and a little
willingness to slightly neglect the plant, in order to get it
into bloom. The flowering of such plants is an occasional
experience, not something that can be programmed into care,
such as limiting daylength. In the meantime, enjoy the
attractive foliage!